Love and Loyalty
by beautifulmind016
Summary: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy have always ruled over Narnia. But what happens when new children come in? Will they lose their country? And will they lose their hearts as well?
1. TrailerPreview

Hey Guys! So I'm really excited about my new story, Love and Loyalty, coming April 19th. I have the entire thing written, so it will be a new chapter every X amount of days thing. Here is the trailer, posted on youtube below, enjoy and review, let me know what you think!!

.com/watch?v=hsrMqf4L5Bs

**Characters**:

**Pevensie, Peter **

Age 19, Lives in Finchley.

**Pevensie, Susan**

Age 17, Lives in Finchley

**Pevensie, Edmund**

Age 16, Lives in Finchley

**Pevensie, Lucille (Lucy)**

Age 14, Lives in Finchley

**Malyine, Elise (Twin of David)**

Age 18, Lives in Philadelphia

**Malyine, David (Twin of Elise)**

Age 18, Lives in Philadelphia

**Malyline, Danielle **

Age 16, Lives in Philadelphia

**Malyline, Ricky**

Age 14, Lives in Philadelphia

Other than that…hope you guys like it, and I'll see you April 19th!!

~Hannah


	2. 1300 Years Ago

**IT'S NOT APRIL 19****th****!!! I just couldn't help myself…I wanted to give you guys a tease…so the 2****nd**** chapter will not be up until April 19****th**** (next Monday), but you get Chapter 1 now. Review, review, review please!! I only got one response out of over 50 hits the first time, and I DO accept anonymous reviews, so I should get more than that guys!!  
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy it!! **

It had been 1300 years since the Pevensie children defeated the White Witch and freed Narnia. But for the Pevensie children, it had only been three. Three long, dreary years of wanting to go back, and jumping into every wardrobe they found.

Peter, now nineteen years old, was getting into more and more trouble. He was about to go into his second year at the University of Cambridge, but he was miserable. As a result, he got into fights at school, and even though he had excellent grades, he was running the risk of getting expelled for violence.

Susan, at eighteen years of age, had grown into a beauty. She had matured a lot since her first trip to Narnia, and was about to leave for her first year at school. Definitely the practical one of the four, she was trying to forget about Narnia, realizing that the chances of them going back were slim.

Edmund was now sixteen years old. All the girls chased him at school, but he wasn't interested. He had taken two years to get over the mistake he made in Narnia, and had used it as a life lesson. He was more loving than ever with his brothers and sisters, and they all adored him.

Lucy was still the same bright cheerful girl at fourteen. She believed with all her heart that Aslan was going to bring them back to Narnia soon. Even though she thought that their life in Finchley was good, she loved Narnia and wanted to return.

_Susan's POV_

Susan was standing the in streets of London, reading a paper until their train arrived. She turned when she heard Lucy's voice calling her name.

"Susan! Come quickly, Peter and Edmund are in trouble!" Susan grabbed Lucy's hand and raced toward the train station. Peter was forever getting into trouble, and Susan guessed that this time was no exception.

When they arrived in the station, they saw Peter fighting two big burly boys. Edmund jumped into the fight just as they arrived, and they could only watch helplessly as Peter and Edmund fought. Suddenly behind them, they heard a voice shouting.

"You, all of you stop now!" A constable shouted as he raced toward the fight. Susan and Lucy stayed out of his way as people began to run in all directions, trying not to get into trouble. The constable pulled Peter and Edmund off the two boys, and lectured all four of them before Peter and Edmund walked toward Susan and Lucy. Susan gave them both a stern look as they tucked in their shirts and tried to look presentable again.

"Peter, how many times must you fight before you learn to let it go?" Susan sighed as they settled onto a bench next to the tracks.

"It wasn't my fault!" Peter protested. "He bumped me."

"And so you punched him?" Lucy said with frustration.

"No, then he tried to make me apologize for it. That's when I punched him." Peter said rationally.

"Why can't you just walk away?" Susan asked, trying to understand.

"Because. If we were in Narnia now, this wouldn't have happened. I would have been older." Peter got a faraway look in his eyes, as if he was remembering the old days.

"Well we aren't in Narnia, and it's best if you just forget it." Susan said.

"Ouch!" Edmund stood up. "Peter, stop pinching me."

"I wasn't!" Peter cried. Then he stood too. "Susan!"

"I'm not doing anything!" Susan said. "I think you're both, ouch!" Susan stood quickly and walked several steps away from the bench. She had felt it too. Before long they were all standing there, as the pinches and pulls grew harder. "Hold hands!" Susan yelled as the wind seemed to pick up in the tunnel, and their surroundings started to swirl. Susan closed her eyes as the wind got harder and harder. Then, everything was quiet. Susan opened her eyes and let go of Lucy's hand, seeing that they were inside a cave. She could see the ocean from the cave, and laughing, they all ran to it. Throwing their sweaters aside, they ran into the water and splashed each other happily.

_Edmund's POV_

A few hours later, they climbed up to the cliff and wandered around the grassy ruins. They all knew where they were, it was unspoken.

"Funny," Edmund remarked. "I don't remember their being any ruins in Narnia."

At that comment, they all seemed to stop and consider it. Surprise set in as they realized he was right. Walking a little farther, he bent and picked something up, speaking again.

"Look! It's a piece from my chess set!" Edmund exclaimed holding up the piece.

"What chess set?" Peter asked with interest.

"Well I didn't exactly have a gold chess set in Finchley did I?" Edmund returned with a bit of sarcasm.

The search to find out where they were seemed to heighten then, and suddenly Lucy cried out.

"Everyone stand here!" She cried again, positioning them in a line, with about three feet between each of them.

"I don't really get it, Lu," Susan responded.

"There now," said Lucy after she finished positioning them. "Look straight ahead. Imagine pillars of stone, and a glass ceiling," she said passionately.

"It's Cair Paravel!" They all exclaimed. After the initial surprise wore off, the shock set in. What could have happened to Narnia that Cair Paravel was in ruins?

_Peter's POV_

Peter wandered off from the group, looking for the doorway to their secret chamber. Finding the sliding wall, he called for Edmund to help him, and together they pulled the wall back to reveal the wooden door. Opening it, darkness greeted them. By this time, Susan and Lucy had joined them around the door. Peter ripped off part of his shirt, hearing a gasp of disapproval from Susan as he did so. He wrapped it around a stick, and turned to the rest.

"Anyone have a match on them?" He questioned.

"No, but I have a flashlight!" Edmund grinned at him.

"You might have mentioned that a bit sooner!" Peter laughed with him.

Lighting the flashlight, Peter descended the stairs with the rest of the kids behind him. Going down to the lowest level, he saw their chests. Lucy immediately ran to hers, Susan on her heels. Lucy opened it and pulled the dress she had been wearing on the day they were pulled back into the real world. She held it up against her, and Peter noticed how much longer it was.

"This doesn't fit me anymore!" Lucy cried with a bit of remorse in her voice.

"Well, you were older then," Susan smiled fondly at her.

Looking around, Peter saw Edmund had opened his chest too, and was examining the contents with a smile on his face. Hesitantly, Peter looked to his own chest, and getting on his knees, opened it slowly. On top lay his sword and shield that Aslan had given him, all those years before. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I wonder why we're here again," Peter wondered aloud.


	3. Four More

Philadelphia was called the City of Brotherly Love. But for the Malyline children, it was anything but. The four children had lost their parents just the week before, and they were taking it hard. Their parents had been on their way to a conference in the inner city, and had been shot by a gang on their way.

David and Elise were the oldest, and twins. Elise was older by a few minutes, and both were eighteen years old. As the two oldest, they were trying to be brave for their two younger siblings, Ricky and Danielle, but it was difficult. David had heard Elise crying in her sleep every night since, and he had cried a few times himself.

Danielle was the third child, and at sixteen, she was hurting deeply. This was the time in life that she needed her mother the most, and to lose her hurt more than anything. She was normally a quieter child, and she was extremely sensitive. Her mother had been the one person who understood her, and now she felt completely alone.

Ricky was fourteen, and even though he acted like he didn't really care, the loss of his parents had crushed him. All his life had been a joke so far. He played around in school, wasn't serious about his grades, and for the most part treated everyone with a bad attitude. But now that he had lost his parents, he decided maybe it was time to shape up and be more serious about things.

_Elise's POV_

Elise rose that morning at six with her alarm. It was the day of the funeral, and she needed some time alone before everyone else was up and went to eat. As she and David were both eighteen, the government would allow them to live alone with their brother and sister. For that much at least, she was grateful. Living through a separation would have been horrible.

Getting into the shower, she rinsed the soap off her body and rubbed shampoo into her long raven black hair. Many considered her to be a beauty, with her black hair and violet eyes. She had a fair complexion, which she had inherited from her mother. Stepping out of the shower, she grabbed a towel and rubbed herself dry, heading to her closet. She pulled out the black dress she had been saving, thinking about how it was supposed to be for the winter formal at her college, and instead she was wearing it to her parent's funeral. This started a tear rolling down her face, but she dashed it away.

"Stop it Elise!" She chided herself, looking in the mirror after she slipped on the dress. She had to admit, the dress was beautiful. It hugged her every curve, accentuating her figure in all the right places. But she wasn't there to be beautiful today. Curling her hair softly, she applied a bit of makeup to her eyes to try and hide her lack of sleep, and went to rouse her siblings.

_David's POV_

The death had been hard. The funeral was dragging along, and David wished it would all just be over. He had never been one to cry in front of others, and mostly he internalized his feelings. He didn't like sharing things with others, and found it difficult to be emotional. All of a sudden, he felt something pulling at him. He glanced at Elise, and by the expression in her eyes, she felt it too. Grabbing Ricky's hand next to him, he noticed Elise doing the same with Danielle. The room seemed to spin about them, and he closed his eyes tightly. Before he knew it, they weren't standing in a room watching people view his parent's bodies, they were standing in a forest.

_Danielle's POV_

During the funeral, Danielle had just wanted to get home. She wanted to sit in her room and cry while writing in her journal. She felt like her world was crashing down, but now, she had to be in a weird forest with something odd happening to them. Silently, she begged for this to not be happening.

While Danielle was feeling upset and worried, a lion appeared in front of them. All four of them froze. Danielle heard her brother speak first.

"Everyone back up slowly, don't speak a word, and don't run!"  
Slowly, all four of them began to listen to him, and they backed up quietly, until a voice broke the silence.

"My children, do not run from me. I will not harm you. I am Aslan, and I am here because I sent for you." Danielle was completely in shock. Since when did lions talk? But yet, he must be talking. So she decided to respond.

"Where are we, and why are we here?" She asked with curiousity.

"You are in Narnia, and you are here because Narnia has been threatened by men called Telmarines. You might as well get used to it now, Narnia is full of talking animals. This land is beautiful, but has been threatened by these human beings. See, they came from a land like you, but they have become evil and power hungry. Their king, Miraz, wants to kill every true Narnian in these lands. That is where you come in. I want you to meet me at the Stone Table Fortress. Your answers will be there." His gaze softened a bit. "I know you have recently had great loss in your lives, and for that I am truly sorry. But your time here, if spent wisely, will bring you great happiness." After that, he gave them directions, and disappeared.

"What on earth was that about?" Elise said with an unreadable emotion in her voice.

"I don't know, but I suggest we go find this Stone Table Fortress that Aslan was talking about. It seems to be the only way we will get any answers." David responded with some reluctance in his voice.

Danielle wasn't sure how she felt about all this, but she knew that she really didn't have any choice but to follow along.

_Ricky's POV_

Ricky really didn't know what to do with the whole "Aslan" thing. He believed in the lion of course, but he thought that they were being led into a trap. He tried to push his sorrow aside for a little while, and enjoy the land they were in. He'd definitely rather be here than at his parent's funeral, that's for sure. As they walked, he chatted with Elise.

"Elise, what do you think we're really here for?" Ricky asked.

"Well, I think that maybe we're here to fight. I mean, what else could we possibly be doing here for a war? It worries me a little bit, but I guess Aslan knows what he's doing."

"How can you possibly trust a talking lion that we just met?" Ricky said with disbelief in his voice.

"Well, what else are we to do?" Elise answered logically.

"I guess so." Ricky grumbled a little bit.

_Elise's POV_

Elise trudged along behind David. They were almost to the fortress that Aslan had directed them to. She could see it in the distance. She was putting on a brave front for her brothers and sister, but honestly she had no idea what was going to happen to them. On the inside, she wished her parents were here, they would know what to do. She was the oldest now, and she had to make the decisions and keep her family strong. The only question was, how was she going to do it?


	4. At Last We Meet

**Not gonna lie..I'm really disappointed with the amount of reviews I've received.. 1!**

**Please review guys…I don't feel like anyone is reading this, and if they are, they aren't enjoying it..so please review!! Here's Chapter 3!**

_Peter's POV_

As Peter and his brother and sisters waited at the fortress, they all questioned what they were waiting for. Peter was standing facing the forests, when all of a sudden he caught sight of something.

"Hey guys! I think I see people coming!" He said with some alarm in his voice. They had no idea what to expect. Were these the dreaded Telmarines they had heard about, or were they friends? As they all watched, four people appeared. They walked in a single file line. First in line was a tall girl, who looked to be about Susan's age. She had jet black hair and flawless skin. Peter sucked in his breath at her beauty. As they watched in curiosity and wonder, next was a boy who looked remarkably like the girl, and looked to also be the same age.

_Edmund's POV_

As the last two kids came over the hillcrest, the third was a beautiful young girl who seemed to carry a look of great sadness. Edmund was immediately drawn to her, and couldn't wait until they arrived. As they approached the four, they all seemed to stop and just stare at each other.

_Danielle's POV_

When we arrived at the fortress, Danielle was shocked to see four kids, who looked to all be about their ages, except every kid was the opposite gender. For example, there looked to be a boy and a girl about Elise and David's age, a boy about her age, and a girl about Ricky's age. She had to admit, the boy who was her age was awfully cute. With dark brown hair and piercing eyes, he had an air of mystery about him. She smiled at him shyly, and he smiled back. As they walked up, the oldest boy spoke.

"Hello!" He smiled at them. "I guess you were told by Aslan to come here as well." Elise spoke up next.

"Yes, we were. Who are you?"

"I'm Peter," said the boy, pointing to himself. "This is Susan, Edmund and Lucy." He pointed to each kid in succession. So the boy's name was Edmund. It seemed to fit him somehow. "We've been to Narnia before. We were kings and queens here for twenty years before being sent back to our home in England accidentally. We just got back here, and from what we can make out, we're all here to fight a battle." He looked somewhat nervous as he made that last comment, Danielle thought.

_Elise's POV_

From what Elise could make out, these four had been here before. Peter, as was the eldest boy's name, had told them the entire story. Elise couldn't believe it. They had been kings and queens here. She decided it was time to speak up, after almost five minutes of silence.

"Well, just to get it out there now, I guess I'll give you a background on us. We are from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I'm Elise, I'm the oldest. This is my brother David, he's my twin. And then this is Danielle, and Ricky," she pointed to her siblings as Peter had done. "Just so you know now, we have never been here before, and we just lost our parents, a week ago." Elise barely managed to choke out the last few words before turning away so that they wouldn't see her tears. The girl named Susan spoke then.

"We're so sorry!" She cried in sympathy. Her eyes were on David the entire time. "Is there anything we can do to help?" She asked.

"Not really." David answered quietly. Before Elise knew it, Peter was suggesting something else.

"Why don't we split up? We need to get things ready to spend the night, as I don't think Aslan is going to appear anytime soon. Edmund, you and Danielle can go and find firewood for tonight. Elise and I will go into the cave and try to find a good place to build a fire and sleep. Ricky and Lucy, why don't you two go off and find palm branches or something to sleep on, and Susan and David, could you try to find something we could cook or eat?" He seemed to say it nicely, even though he was telling them what to do, he kept an air of request in his voice.

"Sounds good to me," said David. Elise agreed with the plan, if for no other reason than each of them would be alone with someone of the outside, someone who wasn't related to them. They were all close in age, so maybe this would be a good way for them to grieve.

_Susan's POV_

Susan walked over to David and smiled at him.

"Ready to go?" He asked with a smile. Susan thought the smile seemed forced, but she understood that he was in a lot of emotional pain. She grabbed his hand in a friendly way, and they headed off into the woods.

_Edmund's POV_

Danielle and Edmund were hunting for wood in the forest. To Edmund, it seemed like Danielle was going to cry at any moment. After hearing about her parents, he understood why. He tried to engage her in conversation.

"So, how old are you Danielle?" He asked, trying to sound friendly.

"I'm sixteen. You?"

"Sixteen too. It's that age where you feel like you want more independence, but you're scared of it at the same time." He said with a grin.

"Yeah, I agree. I want to be treated like an adult, but at the same time, I know I'm not ready." She barely looked at him while talking.

"Mind if I ask you a question?" Edmund said cautiously.

"No, go ahead." Danielle grabbed another log from the ground and dumped it on their pile.

"Are you okay? I mean, you look like you're about to cry at any minute." His voice carried worry in it, and he didn't mean to convey that.

"I'm okay." Danielle's voice shook, and Edmund saw a tear run down her face. Dropping his firewood, he ran over to her, and pulled her into a hug. Awkwardly, he held her as she cried.

"I'm s-sorry. I just h-haven't cried since it happened, and it j-just all came out." She hiccupped as she spoke, and it almost broke his heart to hear her so upset.

"Don't apologize!" He chided her. "You need to let it all out, and I'm certainly okay with you doing so." He was now able to embrace her less awkwardly, and she seemed to fit naturally in his arms.

"It's embarrassing." She said, tears still in her eyes. "I barely know you."

"Well, this isn't the first time that someone has confided in me right after meeting me." He smiled at her. She pulled away a bit.

"I guess so. It's just that when I lost my parents, I couldn't say anything. See I have always been the shy, quiet one. So I find it difficult to express what I'm feeling."

"And what is that?" Edmund asked, lifting her chin.

"I feel like I lost my best friend. My mother was the one person I could confide in. She always knew what I was thinking, always understood me. It was easy with her."

"Well, I know what you mean in a way. I've always been the one who found it hard to express myself too. But from what I've seen, you're doing a fine job of communicating yourself now!" He grinned at her.

"You better hurry up, or I might gather way more wood than you!" She said with a playful tone. Edmund smiled inwardly. It would take time, but slowly, she would heal.


	5. Unexpected Attractions

**This chapter is dedicated to narniagirl…my anonymous reviewer who inspired me to keep updating even though no one seems to be reviewing **** Hope you guys enjoy and PLEASE PLEASE review!!!**

_Elise's POV_

Elise found exploring the fortress with Peter to be interesting. They didn't say too much in the first few minutes, and she found herself watching him. He was handsome, to say the least. She judged that he was about nineteen or twenty, not too much older than she.

"So, you're from England?" Elise questioned, trying to start a conversation.

"Yeah, we live right in the country. What about you, live in the big city huh? It really must be a great adventure." Peter responded.

"Not really. If you thought about it, you might realize that the 'great adventure' as you call it was responsible for my parent's death." Elise said coldly, turning and marching out of the fortress.

_David's POV_

David and Susan hunted for food. So far they hadn't found much, with the exception of a rabbit that David had shot with one of Susan's arrows.

"I guess we'll have to stay a bit longer, there's still some daylight left," Susan said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I guess so." David hadn't really talked too much the entire time he had been with Susan. He felt bad about it, but he was still processing through the shock of his parent's death. There was nothing wrong with Susan at all in fact he thought she was beautiful, friendly and fun to be around. He just couldn't bring himself to talk too much. He decided he should try to make more of an effort.

"I'm sorry I've been quiet so far. It's not that I don't like you or anything, I'm just trying to process everything that's happened over the last few weeks."  
"It's okay. I understand, truly. I just want to make sure I don't say the wrong thing or talk too much." Susan responded soberly.

"It's fine. In fact, you're really helping me, just by taking my mind off of things." He smiled at her.

"Well then, you better hurry up and try to catch me with these berries, because I'm way ahead of you pal!" She threw a handful of berries at him laughing.

_Peter's POV_

Peter hadn't meant to upset her at all. He was just trying to draw her out of her shell, and try to start a conversation. Why did she have to be so darn sensitive? Nevertheless, he followed her out. He found her about ten minutes later, crying on a rock near the woods.

"Elise?" He approached her cautiously, trying not to upset her. He placed his hand gently on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I just need some time alone. Please leave." She stated without turning to look at him.

"Elise, I said I was sorry. Please just talk to me!" Peters voice rose a few octaves.

"Yes, and I asked you to leave. Now go please!" Elise's rose to match his.

"Fine! All I was trying to do was help!" Peter almost shouted as he stalked back to the fortress. He didn't understand why she was so touchy.

_Ricky's POV_

Ricky was having a great time with Lucy. He really hadn't thought too much about losing his parents. Lucy was a great companion for him, and they roamed the woods searching for bedding materials. They had already gathered some palm branches and big leaves, and some moss.

"Hey Lu, you think that this leafy stuff will work?" Ricky held up a huge green leaf he had found.

"Yes, definitely." Lucy smiled at him and kept working.

"You know, I think my brother and sisters are taking this harder than I am. I don't mean to be selfish sounding or cruel, but we're here now, and there seems to be no point in mourning our parents death. We can focus on this and not worry right?"

"Well Ricky, it's a little more complicated than that. You miss your parents I'm sure, but at some point, we'll all have to go back to the real world. They might as well cope with their grief here." Lucy tried to sound logical about the whole thing, and only hoped she had succeeded.

"I guess that makes sense, I just never thought we'd have to go back. I figured we would be here forever now." Ricky had never contemplated the idea of having to go home before. He missed his parents dearly, but he had had his cry, and he was okay now. Sometimes it was worse than others, but he didn't understand why everyone was still so upset over the whole matter.

"As much as we wish that were true, it's not. We will have to go back at some point." The two kept working in silence, each contemplating the other's words.

_Susan's POV_

By the time everyone met back at the fortress, it was getting dark. Susan and David had brought a deer in, after a little bit of effort. Danielle and Edmund deposited all the firewood they had collected, and set to work on starting a fire. Peter and Elise had found a nice place to sleep and make a fire, but Susan noticed that they seemed to be at odds with one another. While everyone else was getting along fine, and even making friendships quickly, Elise and Peter would barely speak to each other. Susan walked over to Peter, while Ricky and Lucy made up eight beds for everyone and David cleaned the deer.

"Peter, what's going on with you and Elise? Why are you guys not speaking to each other?" She asked with some apprehension in her voice. Was something wrong?

"She's just so touchy! All I did was ask if living in Philadelphia was an adventure, and she stomped off. When I tried to apologize, she was crying and told me to leave her alone. I don't know what I did, but she's way too sensitive." Peter said with a hint of accusation and hurt in his voice.

"I understand that you weren't trying to upset her, Peter, but you have to remember that she just lost her parents. Remember when our parents died? We felt all alone too, and you felt even worse because you were the oldest and felt a sense of responsibility towards the rest of us."

"Yeah, I guess so. I hadn't thought of it like that before." Peter said, as if contemplating that for the first time.

"Why don't you try talking to her again, and just remember to be sensitive. She needs someone to talk to right now, and I don't think her brother can help her, because David seems to be grieving pretty seriously too." Susan went back over to David to try and draw him out of his shell a little more, and left Peter trying to talk to Elise again.

_David's POV_

That evening, after dinner was over and everyone had crawled into their makeshift beds, Peter spoke.

"Even though we just met a few hours ago, I think we should make a few pacts and decisions. We aren't in fairyland, and we're bound to run into danger at some point here."

"What do you suggest Peter?" David asked.

"I think we should pair off again for one thing. We should use the buddy system. It's common sense in a situation like this. Elise doesn't go anywhere without me, Susan doesn't go anywhere without David, and so on."

"That sounds like a wise idea to me Pete, you never know what could happen, and we have no idea what to expect." Edmund stated.

"Must we keep the same partners?" Elise asked with some hardness in her voice that David picked up on as her twin.

"Yes, we must. It only makes sense," Peter said with the same coldness in his voice.

"Sounds good. In the meantime, I think we should wait here for Aslan," Susan said. "We don't know what's going on outside of here, and he will show up at some point."

"I agree. For now though, I think we should all get some sleep," Danielle said with a yawn in her voice.

"Goodnight everyone!" Lucy said. A chorus of goodnights echoed around the cave, and then there was silence.


	6. Aslan Reveals All

**Even though I'm still feeling kind of disappointed, and there really aren't ANY reviewers besides NarniaGirl97…I'm still updating because I feel like I should. So please guys…reviews are MUCH appreciated, and they always bring a smile to my face. There's hits, and I know you guys are reading…so can you just drop a little line at the end? Constructive criticism, "I loved it" reviews…anything. I do accept them anonymously too, so EVERYONE can review.**

**Thanks, and here's Chapter 5 **

_Elise's POV_

Elise woke early the next morning. Seeing that Peter was out of his bed, she decided to try and mend fences. Walking outside, she spotted him on a rock right outside the fortress.

"I thought we were supposed to be using the buddy system!" She said with a hint of teasing in her voice.

"You looked peaceful; there was no point in waking you." Peter said stiffly. Elise sobered, realizing he was upset.

"Look Peter, I'm sorry about last night. I wasn't being fair. You weren't trying to upset me, and then when you came to apologize I sent you away. I am truly sorry; I shouldn't have reacted that way." Elise said very apologetically. Peter turned to look at her.

"Its fine Elise," He said with a smile. "I never meant to upset you, you must believe me. I just wasn't thinking before I spoke."

"I know. So friends now?"

"Definitely," he said smiling even wider.

_David's POV_

David and Susan were bonding. It was a simple fact. He already saw that Danielle and Edmund had a connection, and he knew there was one with Susan. Neither of them had been able to sleep well the night before, so they walked outside and sat looking at the stars. David shared things with her that he had never shared with anyone else. He told her about his parents, how he felt when he heard they were dead, what it had done to him emotionally. He just completely bared his soul. He suspected he had shocked Susan a little bit, but that wasn't very evident. She had been kind and understanding, and no one had ever made him feel so at peace.

"David!" Susan ran outside. Her skirts were muddy from the day before, but she didn't seem to care.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Aslan is coming!" She yelled as she covered the last few yards between them. She tripped on her way though, and fell flat on her face. David struggled not to laugh.

"Help me up!" She muttered from the ground. Grinning inwardly, he extended his hand and pulled her onto her feet.

"How graceful you are!" He mocked her in a friendly way.

"Very funny." She glared at him. "Now come on, Aslan was spotted coming over the ridge."

_Edmund's POV_

Edmund and Danielle had covered bases already. He kissed her the day before, and they were practically a couple. They were moving quickly he knew, but he also could care less. Who knew how much time they would have out here? He and Danielle were in the woods kissing when they heard the shout.

"It's Aslan!" Edmund recognized Lucy's voice.

"Come on Danielle!" He said with a bit of breathlessness in his voice. "We need to go." Disentangling themselves, they headed out to the back of the fortress, following Lucy's voice.

Finding the rest of the group, Edmund and Danielle sat with the other six. Looking at Aslan, Edmund waited.

_Aslan's POV_

"I see you have found each other," Aslan chuckled as he observed Edmund and Danielle's hands intertwined, the way Susan and David looked at each other, and the obvious attraction between Peter and Elise. Only Ricky and Lucy had no hidden intentions. They were just good buddies. "I commend you for getting here." Aslan's deep voice resounded. "Now for the reason you've been called here. Four-hundred years ago, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy were the kings and queens of this land. Everyone was happy. But after their sudden departure, the people felt abandoned. Chaos ensued without a ruler, until the Telmarines marched on Narnia about two-hundred years ago. The Telmarines come from Telmar, a land across the sea. They have tried to invade us before, without success. But because we had no ruler, they were able to break the Narnian defenses easily. They ruled well at first, with a good king, named Caspian VIII. His son ruled after him, Caspian IX. But then, Caspian IX suddenly died in his sleep. Rumor had it that his younger brother, Miraz, had killed him. Caspian IX had a son, also named Caspian, who would have been about your age Peter. Miraz had him killed a few years ago. Miraz has tried many times to become king, but has failed. He is regent in place because there is no real king. But since Miraz has had authority, he has driven all the real Narnian people into hiding, because they have been threatened with death if they come out."

Lucy gasped. Aslan continued.

"Since they haven't been allowed to speak, the trees have slowly stopped talking. Once treated like a dumb animal, they stay a dumb animal. Miraz has a wife, who just gave birth to a son, and so the life of Narnia is now in danger. You must fight Miraz and get rid of his rule, so that you can take back your rightful thrones." The eight children sat quietly for a moment, taking all this information in.

"What do you want us to do? We can hardly fight Miraz with just the eight of us!" Peter protested.

"My son, do you have such little faith? Your army is on the way here as we speak. I would not leave you to Miraz alone."

"Sorry Aslan, I didn't think before I spoke." Peter bowed his head in shame, and Aslan saw Elise reach out and put her hand on Peter's shoulder. This would be an interesting few days.

_Peter's POV_

Peter couldn't believe that he was here once again, getting ready to fight a battle. It was an unspoken fact that he was in charge, and he loved the feeling of being the High King once again. He knew that he wasn't officially the king, but he was in charge of the army, and for now that was enough. His brain was full of possible options, but he knew that he needed information on Miraz and his troop movements. At that moment, Elise came up behind him.

"Peter! Anything I can do to help?" She questioned him, probably seeing the worry on his face.

"I've just been thinking about ways to attack and such. I don't know what we're going to do." Peter tried to not let the hopelessness be communicated in his voice, but it came through anyway.

"It's going to be okay. What do you need?"

"Well I have no idea how big of an army Miraz has, or where they are, or the size of the castle. I have no information. It's like playing chess in the dark. I don't know where the pieces are, but I must move."

"I can go. I can sneak around and get information for you." Elise offered enthusiastically.

"No you can't. It's too dangerous." Peter shot down her offer instantly.

"And who else will go?" Elise challenged him. "You and your siblings are too well recognized. I am the oldest, and I should go. You need David here to plan anyway." Peter knew Elise had a point, but he was stubborn. Finally, after realizing there might be no other way, he agreed.

"Fine, but you must be absolutely careful!" He cautioned her. "Miraz sounds like he's a very dangerous man, and you can't risk getting hurt." He hugged her tightly. "Write down or memorize anything of use, and come back." He led her to the place where Aslan had left them horses, and helped her mount. "Be safe." With that, he let go of her horse, and she rode off into the woods, out of Peter's sight.


	7. The First Kiss

**Sorry about the short chapter…I was in a hurry. Please guys..I'm BEGGING now. Review! This chapter is also dedicated to NarniaGirl97. Thanks for being my inspiration to keep going **

_Elise's POV_

Elise rode quickly to the castle. She was dressed in a baggy gown that she had found in the fortress. It was torn, dirty and looked like it belonged to a servant. She arrived at the castle doors, and knocked. It felt silly to her, knocking on big wooden doors. A servant opened the door, and soldiers were behind him.

"May I help you?" The servant's voice had a cool air, as if he knew she wasn't wealthy or important.

"Yes, I would like to speak to Lord Miraz." Elise said, trying to appear poor.

"Very well, I will see if he will receive you." The servant led her into the main courtyard and disappeared. Ten minutes later he returned.

"You may follow me." He led her through halls and down passageways, and for one brief moment, Elise feared that she was going to be arrested. Everywhere they went, she made mental notes for Peter.

"Here you are Miss. You must go right through those doors, and into the hall." He bowed and departed, his footsteps retreating down the hallway.

Elise headed into the hall, and taking a deep breath, opened the door. She saw a scary looking man sitting on a large throne. He had a book in his hands, as if he was reading, but his black eyes stared at her piercingly.

"What is your name?" He said with an air of regality.

"Elise Mayline." She said quietly.

"And what is your purpose here?" He said with some amusement.

"I would like to, well that is I would like a job sir." She came up with a good excuse for snooping rather quickly.

"A job eh? Well Elise, if nothing else you certainly have beauty." He got up from his chair and walked over to her. Elise shrank back a bit, frightened. He came closer, suddenly grabbing her and kissing her roughly. Fighting him with no success, Miraz shoved his tongue into Elise's mouth. She felt completely used and horrible as Elise finally managed to wrench away from him.

"You horrible man!" Elise ran through the doors and out the hall entrance, passed the started servant who had greeted her and to her horse. Galloping as fast as she could, she reached the fortress in no time and dismounted, running inside and straight into Peter's arms.

"Elise!" Peter said with some shock in his voice. "What are you doing back so soon? And for heaven's sakes what's wrong?"

"I went in to see Miraz," Elise panted, "and he kissed me! I tried to stop him, but he was too strong, and I felt so violated Peter!" She clung to him as tears raced down her cheeks.

"I hate to ask when you are in distress, but did you find anything out?" Peter held her at arms length.

"Yes. The courtyard is huge, guarded by many soldiers. They all seem to be archers, and there could be more. You get into the castle by a drawbridge, then a gate. This is where our armies could come in." Elise picked up a stick and drew diagrams in the dirt. "We would enter here," She pointed to an area on her map, "then Edmund or David could be up here waiting to give the signal." She pointed to a tower.

"Great work Elise!" Peter laughed. "This is just what I needed." He pulled her to him again. "I'm sorry about that scoundrel though, he took something from you that you should never have had to sacrifice." He cradled her and soothed her with comforting words as she calmed down.

"Peter…" Elise's voice trailed off as he held her.

"Yes?" Peter glanced down at her.

"That was my first kiss." Elise started to cry again. Suddenly Peter knew exactly what to do. Bending down, he met her lips in a soft kiss.

_Susan's POV_

David and Susan were trying to work. They were getting distracted by each other a lot however.

"David? Do you have the sword pile somewhere?" Susan asked David. They had been assigned to the weapon work. They had found a bunch of rusty swords and such from a battlefield nearby, and they had ridden back to Cair Paravel and found all their old weapons. Now they were working on getting everything back into shape.

"Yeah, the sword pile is over by that tree," David pointed. Susan ran over and placed the three sharp swords in the pile and went to work on a bow that had a broken string.

"So, how are you doing?" Susan wasn't sure how to broach the subject of David's parents.

"I'm doing okay. I just keep double checking to make sure they're actually gone, because sometimes it feels like they aren't really gone and it's all a dream." David seemed to have opened up to Susan in the last few days, and she was glad for that.

_Danielle's POV_

If it was possible to be in love after only knowing someone for a few days and only being sixteen, Danielle was sure she was in love. She and Edmund strolled through the woods holding hands in the afternoon sunshine. They were supposed to be working, but they excused it by saying that they were taking a break. Danielle had never been happier.


	8. Sibling Rivalry

**Sorry about the short chapter…I was in a hurry. Please guys..I'm BEGGING now. Review! This chapter is also dedicated to NarniaGirl97. Thanks for being my inspiration to keep going **

_Peter's POV_

Peter paced back and forth, with all the kids watching him. He felt responsible for everyone's welfare, and wasn't sure how to go about keeping everyone safe. Everyone was looking to him.

"Peter, we must think of something. Miraz and his men will come right here and starve us in!" Edmund cried.

"I know Ed!" Peter's words came out harsher than he had intended, and he wished he could take them back when he saw the hurt look on Edmund's face. "Sorry Ed, I'm just tense, I didn't mean that."

Elise stood then and walked over to Peter, placing her arms on his shoulders. "It's going to be okay Peter. I promise. We'll think of something!" She turned and hugged him, and in return he held her tightly. It was an emotional moment for everyone, as solemn silence settled over the group.

_Edmund's POV_

Watching Peter pace was difficult for Edmund. He felt bad that everyone relied on Peter for safety. Edmund wished he could be a provider too, but as High King, all that duty fell to Peter.

"Peter, we must think of something. Miraz and his men will come right here and starve us in!" Edmund finally cried out.

"I know Ed!" Peter replied harshly. Hurt, Edmund withdrew. He felt Danielle place a hand on his shoulder, and he relaxed a bit.

"Sorry Ed, I'm just tense, I didn't mean that." Peter gave Edmund a small smile.

Edmund felt Danielle wrap her arms around his chest, and he covered her hands with his own. Turning to grab her hand, he led her out of the room as everyone else sat solemnly.

_Danielle's POV_

Walking through the forest together, hand in hand, Edmund and Danielle talked.

"I've always been in Peter's shadow," Edmund said bitterly, "ever since the first time we were in Narnia, and even before when we lived in England. That's why I got involved with the white witch. I wanted to have my own place, and prove to Peter that I was just as good as he was, regardless of the birth order. Now I'm trying to quench those same feelings of resentment and jealousy again."

"Well, Peter is the oldest, but he has weaknesses Ed, just like you do. In the areas he's weak, you are strong." Danielle smiled at him.

"What do you mean?" Edmund looked confused.

"Take the fact that Peter doesn't remain calm in stressful situations." Danielle smile triumphantly at him.

"What?" Edmund looked more confused.

"That's an area that you have a strong point. Peter isn't very good at remaining calm, he loses his temper, gets angry, or can' think of a solution. You are very good at remaining calm and coming up with answers." Danielle felt Edmund tighten his grip on her hand.

"You're right Danielle, you're right."

_Susan's POV_

Susan walked quickly into the cavern where the carving of Aslan was on the wall. She saw Peter sitting with his head in his hands on the remains of the Stone Table. As she was about to walk in, she saw Elise coming in too. Gesturing with her hand, she smiled at Elise, trying to communicate that she would handle it, and that she needed to do this. Walking in, she sat down quietly next to Peter.

"So," She said one syllable, hoping to draw some information out of him. Peter lifted his head out of his hands and turned to look at her.

"So what?" He said with a bit of edge in his voice.

"So what's wrong? You've been acting oddly for the last few days." Susan said practically.

"I'm not a leader Susan! I'm a follower. Sure, I liked the title of High King and the honor that went with it, but whenever I get stressed or get in a bad situation, I can't even keep my cool much less make rational decisions or even think of them!" Peter exploded with all his emotions to Susan. After recovering from her shock, she smoothed her full skirt and spoke.

"I'm sorry Peter. I know how you feel, I've noticed the tension in you lately. But the people trust you to lead them! Just for this war, you must lead the people to keep their confidence. They need you to be strong for them. I know you can do it." Susan hoped that her confidence would restore Peter's.

"Yes, but what about decisions and ideas? I can't even come up with any strategies or anything!" Peter said with despair.

"Well, how about having a meeting with everyone, and tell them that you want their input?" Susan said. "You could get their ideas and then adapt them to whatever you need."

Peter smiled at her for the first time that day. "Susan, you are brilliant. Let's do it."

_Lucy's POV_

Watching everyone argue over what course of action to take was extremely entertaining for Lucy. Everyone had different ideas about how the battle and war should be fought. Peter seemed to just be observing and taking it all in, while Danielle looked like she was ready to jump up and fight then and there. Susan just looked to Peter for something, and Elise smiled at him with adoration in her eyes. They were the only ones. Edmund was spilling his guts to Peter, every possible idea and strategy it seemed. Peter seemed to be disagreeing with most of them, which made Ed extremely angry.

"So I suppose you have a better idea?" Edmund said with finality and anger in his voice.

"Edmund, may I remind you who is High King here." Peter said with a coolness in his voice, which he had the decency to look guilty for after a reproving look from Susan.

"You may be the High King Peter, but I have a good idea." Edmund said with the same coolness in his voice.

"Very well," Peter leaned forward eagerly, "let's hear it."


	9. Before It All Ends

** Thanks so much for all the new reviews guys! It made my day so much **** If I get a good response for this chapter, I will have a new one up by Monday..so there's an incentive for you :P**

_Edmund's POV_

Peter could be so frustrating. But Edmund decided to indulge him anyway.

"What about a raid of the castle? You know, hit them before they hit us." Edmund suggested casually. He knew the secret to getting Peter on his side was to let him think he had come up with most of the plan.

"That could be a good idea." Peter mused. He rubbed his chin with his hand. "Of course, we would have to plan it carefully, and only use some of our men, and leave some here." His voice trailed off. "It's a great idea Ed!" Peter exclaimed.

Edmund smiled to himself. He knew he could get Peter to like the idea.

_Lucy's POV_

Lucy sat outside the huge fortress, on a rock high above the ground. Her small chin was resting in her equally small hand, and her usually happy blue eyes were clouded over. She jumped in fright when she felt a hand touch her shoulder.

"Ricky!" She sighed in relief. "What are you doing out here?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. You left the room quite suddenly, as if you were upset."

"Oh, I'm fine." Lucy turned back to staring at the night sky. It appeared to be black, even though Lucy knew it was really a dark blue. The tiny stars twinkled up in the sky, like diamonds laying on a piece of black cloth. The moon sat high up in the sky, glowing and lighting up the fields in front of the fortress.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ricky asked with some disbelief in his voice.

"I guess I just feel unimportant. Everyone else is scurrying about, making plans and getting ready to fight. Me, I'm just sitting here, waiting for them to come back even though they haven't even left yet. I have nothing to do, no role to play." Lucy sat back with disappointment.

"No role to play? Lucy, you are the most important player!" Ricky exclaimed. Lucy turned to him, wondering what on earth he was talking about. "You are the playmaker, the encourager. You are the one who sits here waiting for them to come back so you can nurse the wounded and build everyone up again. You keep everyone happy. Nothing would happen if people weren't happy and feeling encouraged Luce. Nothing!"

"I hadn't thought of it like that." Lucy said slowly. " I always pick up my siblings when they look down. It's just my job as the youngest."

"Well, it's really not your job." Ricky spoke passionately. "You have a gift Luce, the gift of encouraging people and making them smile; of brightening their day that much more. It's a rare thing to possess, and I wish I had it too."

Lucy smiled at Ricky. "I think you just made my day a bit brighter."

_Elise's POV_

Elise strapped on a sword to her outfit, and tightened the leather belt that was holding up her clothes. She turned to look at herself in the mirror, and almost gasped. Where was the girl that had put on a black dress for her mother's funeral? Where was the girl that usually wore dresses and skirts all the time, because she hated pants and thought they were unfeminine. That girl had disappeared. The girl in the mirror was a warrior, who didn't care what she wore, who wanted to fight to keep her country safe. Elise wondered if she was ready to be that girl. She had come into Narnia as a girl, and she felt as if she was now a woman. She was nervous, scared and completely worried, but she knew that this had to be done, and with every bit of resolution in her, she squared her shoulders and left the room.

_David's POV_

David sat on his bed, his head in his hands. Even though everyone shared the "bedroom", no one was there at the moment, so he took some time to reflect. His parents loved him, even though they weren't there to tell him, and somehow David felt that they were proud of him. He could almost hear his mother's voice from the time when he brought home the baseball trophy.

"_David, we are so proud of you. I love you so much sweetheart, I'll love you forever."_

Even though she wasn't in front of him, David knew she was watching him from above.

_Danielle's POV_

Everyone dealt with grief in their own way. Danielle knew that the way she dealt with grief was to try to pretend that it wasn't there. But now, before battle, she could feel it coming onto her. She knew that she might die in this battle, and she wasn't sure what happened if she died in Narnia, she might even be separated forever from her siblings. But something she did know, that her parents loved her, and they hadn't intentionally left her. Even though it was hard to remember at times, Danielle knew that she couldn't blame her parent's death on herself or anyone else. It was an accident, a tragedy, and the only thing worse than their death would be blaming herself. Hugging her knees to her chest, she rocked back and forth as she finally let the tears fall. Salty, wet tears fell down her cheeks as she cried silently. She knew that it would hurt a lot more before the end. But she was ready for it. Just like she would face whatever came that night.

_Ricky's POV_

Ricky found it hard to watch everyone else leave him behind. He wanted so badly to go and fight with his older brother and Peter and Edmund. But he knew that he needed to stay here and comfort Lucy, and that someday his turn would come. One day he would pick up a sword and defend his family and his country, and when that day came, he would be ready for it.

**Hope you liked it, now REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! **


	10. Invasion

_Peter's POV_

Edmund and Peter looked at each other as they were being flown into the castle. A little farther ahead Peter could see David flying in. A few moments later they were dropped on the ledge and quickly shot both the guards on the tower ledge. Peter glanced at Edmund, and quickly left with David, leaving Edmund standing there, simply waiting to give the signal with his flashlight. Peter and David met up with Susan in the library. David was trying to persuade Peter to let him go fight Miraz.

"Please, let me fight him. I won't let what he did to Elise go unnoticed." David's eyes seemed to flash at the remembrance.

"It's too dangerous! Besides, you and I need to get the gate open!" Peter responded with a slight tinge of anger in his voice. He wanted to revenge for Elise as well, but it just wasn't practical.

"Peter!" Susan's voice cut in. "Let him go, you and I can handle the gate." Peter knew that Susan was defending David, but he wanted to win this one.

"No. I am king, and you will do as I say. Susan, come with me. David, go help Edmund and meet me in the courtyard as instructed." Peter commanded, and turned to leave the room. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Susan and David in each others arms, which only made him angry. Even his own sister was falling for this traitor.

After making sure all the guards were dead, Peter headed to Miraz's chamber to make sure he wasn't awake. Susan followed him, and they walked in the door only to see David pointing a sword at Miraz's throat with his wife point a bow and arrow at David.

"David!" Susan cried from behind him.

"You were supposed to be in the courtyard by now! The whole attack will be ruined!" Peter said angrily. David ignored both of them and pressed the sword into Miraz's neck, as a trail of blood ran down his throat. Just at that moment, Miraz's wife shot the arrow, hitting David in the shoulder. David cried out in pain as Miraz ran from the room. Peter and Susan knew that they must go, and ran down to the courtyard. Peter knew deep down that the attack was going to start too late, and the alarm would be sounded, but he wanted to show David anyway.

Peter ran through the courtyard quickly, Susan right behind him. He began to spin the wheel briskly, as soldiers began to fill the courtyard behind them.

"Exactly who are you doing this for Peter?" Susan asked him with anger in her voice. Their armies filled the courtyard, as Peter grabbed his sword and began to fight. Susan was right behind him shooting arrows, killing just as many men as he was. He spotted Elise out the corner of his eye being attacked by a soldier from behind. Peter sprinted towards her, running his sword through the soldier just as he was about to stab Elise.

"Thank you," She yelled above the roar, as Peter hugged her to himself quickly and wished she wasn't here in danger. At that moment, he looked around and saw that it was hopeless. There were men lying everywhere dead, and the gate had been lowered. As he watched in horror, the gate descended, but was all of a sudden stopped by a bull. He held the gate up, and Peter knew what he must do.

"FALL BACK!" He yelled. "Fall back!" He grabbed a horse, swung up, and rode toward the gate, grabbing Elise along the way. All his men began to ride out, animals, beasts. Peter just made it out, and turned to make sure that David had Susan. He did, and they had stopped right ahead over the bridge. Peter turned, only to see that the bull had been shot with about twenty arrows, and he collapsed, the gate closing on top of him. Peter felt sorrow overcome him as he saw his men trapped behind the gate, crying for him to save himself. Behind him, Elise sat with tears in her eyes.

"Peter, the bridge!" Edmund cried and Peter turned and barely made the crossing as the gate rose.

The march back into the fortress with the straggly band of soldiers made Peter feel embarrassed and humiliated. Susan and David walked behind him, Elise beside him. Lucy ran up the ramp to them.

"What happened?" She cried in dismay seeing the looks on their faces and the lack of soldiers with them.

"Ask him!" Peter said with fury, pointing to David.

"Peter!" Susan cried with shock.

"Me! You were the on who insisted on having the attack even though it was doomed to fail!" David shot back.

"If you hadn't stayed and taken longer to threaten Miraz, that never would have happened. We would have made it to the courtyard in plenty of time, with the alarm not raised!" Peter screamed at him. "I wish you and your family had never come here, it has just meant doom for the entire world of Narnia." He caught the hurt and betrayed look on Elise's face, and for a second he felt some guilt, but that quickly disappeared as David stormed into the fortress, with Susan right behind him.

_Elise's POV_

Elise watched, as Peter sat quietly, looking at the wall. He was sitting on top of the stone table, staring at the picture of Aslan. She walked up behind him slowly, trying to process all that had happened in the last twenty four hours. Peter's comment about wishing they had never come had hurt, it had hurt a lot. But deep down, Elise knew that Peter hadn't meant her, he was just upset and was taking it out on David. She had managed to get over some of the hurt by realizing this, and was now approaching Peter.

"Pete?" She whispered. He turned to look at her, and she saw tears glistening in his eyes. Without speaking a word, he pulled her to him, wrapping her in his strong arms. She cried softly on his shoulder, and she could feel his tears on her shoulder as well.

"I'm sorry," he whispered back. "I didn't mean it, any of it." She could hear the remorse in his voice.

"It's okay, I know you didn't. We're all hurting, and we're all saying things that we don't mean. David knows you didn't mean it too." She comforted him, staying warm in his embrace.

"You're all becoming like my own brothers and sisters, and I never wanted to hurt you." Elise pulled back at this.

"Like a sister? That's what I am to you?" She said with a bit of accusation and hurt in her tone.

"I didn't mean you silly!" He grinned at her. "You're much more than that to me."

Elise smiled back at him and before she knew it, he was leaning towards her. He stopped before reaching her lips.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"We shouldn't do this here," he answered her. "The others might walk in at any second, and I think that," She cut him off then, reaching and grabbing his head and yanking it down to meet her lips in a passionate kiss.


	11. Better Left Unsaid

**Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that there is a poll on my page about which story I should write after this one is completed. I am going to write a story for each couple (Four stories all together) and I need your help to pick! **** You can vote for up to two choices, so please make sure you vote for your two favorites. I have titles on the profile page, and I already have some of each story written, so please let me know which one to work on. Thanks, and onto the story! **

_Susan's POV_

Susan found David outside the fortress, sitting on a rock high up. It was a grassy rock, which overlooked the field. It was a large field, with wide open space and surrounded by trees and forests.

"I'm sorry for Peter's comment." Susan whispered to David as she sat down beside him.

"It's okay. Maybe it's better if we leave anyway." David responded quietly.

"Don't say that! I would miss you so much if you left." Susan's sentence trailed off quietly.

"Would you?" David turned to her, "because I would miss you terribly." He smiled at her gently. "You've gotten me through so much Susan, and I think I'm falling for you."

"Well, that's just a good thing, because I'm falling for you too." She smiled at him, but just as they were about to kiss, Susan spotted something out of the corner of her eye.

"David! Look!" David turned to look where Susan was pointing. When he did, his face filed with horror. Marching across the field was an army of soldiers from Miraz. "We'd better get inside and tell Peter!"

_David's POV_

"That's your plan? A girl left by herself in the forest?" David scoffed at Peter. "That's just dangerous!" Everyone was together in the fortress, trying to come up with a plan against the coming attack.

"She won't be alone," Susan replied. "I'll be going with her." David's heart filled with dread. Susan going out in the woods too could be dangerous.

"Well, it doesn't appear that we have any other choice. In the meantime, there's a tradition that we could use to by ourselves some more time. Miraz won't ignore traditions. If you challenge him to a duel, and tell him that the reward is total surrender from the opposing army, I think you'll get him to agree Peter." Edmund informed his brother.

"Then let's go. Susan, you and Lucy get ready to go. Danielle, you stay here with Ricky. Edmund, you go and get Miraz to agree. David, you come with me and help me get ready, and then we can go explain to our generals what's going on. Elise, you should stay here as well." Peter explained to everyone what they were doing.

"I don't want to stay here! I want to fight!" Elise protested.

"Well it could be dangerous!" Peter argued. "There's no reason for you to risk your life too."

"Peter Pevensie! I will fight, and you can't stop me." Elise's eyes flashed. David knew that she would get her way, she always did. Inwardly, he grinned at his sister's courage.

_Elise's POV_

After the meeting, everyone disappeared to their various preparations. Elise stayed behind to talk to Peter.

"Peter please! Let me help fight! I want to help!" She begged him.

"Elise, do you really think I could let you put your life in danger? I can't do that!" Peter sighed.

"Well, do you think I can just stay here, having no idea whether your dead or not?" She responded with a fiery tone.

"No, I guess not." Peter said quietly.

"Then please! Why won't you let me?" She asked, some of the fight gone out of her.

"I don't want to risk losing you. After everything these last two days, you mean the world to me, and I can't even imagine losing you." Peter admitted. Elise put her hand on his face and gently caressed his cheek.

"I promise, nothing will happen to me." She assured him. He bent his head and kissed her softly.

_Danielle's POV_

"Edmund!" Danielle argued. She was in much the same situation as Elise had been with Peter.

"I won't let you fight, and that's final. The battle is no place for a woman." Edmund folded his arms and stared at her.

"Well that's just a chauvinistic attitude if I ever heard one!" She protested.

"I don't care. Whatever it takes to get you to stay, that's what I'll do." Edmund answered her, with a hint of a smile on his face. He pulled her into his arms and held her gently. Then without a word, he disappeared to watch Peter's fight with Miraz.

_David's POV_

"Be careful Susan! Promise me!" David begged Susan as she got on the horse with Lucy.

"I will David, I promise!" She smiled at him. He wanted to kiss her more than anything, but Lucy was there. So he simply grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently, and watched as she rode out of the hall.

David had been watching the fight with Elise for the last five minutes, but he all of a sudden felt an indescribable worry for Susan. He whispered to Elise where he was going, and grabbed a horse. With that, he rode off into the forest.

Riding through the trees, he saw to his horror that Susan had fallen and was lying on the ground and was surrounded by two soldiers. Both of the soldiers had their swords pointed at her, and the fright on her face would make anyone's heart melt. He rode towards the soldiers, holding his sword, and killed both of them, extending his hand to her.

"I thought you promised to be careful!" He scolded her.

"I was trying, but I was outnumbered." She realized then that he was only half serious, and she smiled at him. He couldn't resist anymore, and he leaned toward her, and his mouth met hers in a passionate kiss. After a few seconds he deepened the kiss before pulling back, leaving them both breathless. Without a word he turned and rode back to the battlefield.

_Susan's POV_

Susan felt her lips while they were riding back to the battlefield. She had been kissed before, but never like that. No kiss had ever felt like that. Fireworks, sparks, electricity; it was amazing.

"Focus!" She whispered to herself.

As they arrived back at the battlefield, she saw that Peter was sitting next to Elise, who was holding his arm while Edmund re-adjusted it. Susan jumped off the horse and ran to her brother.

"Pete! Are you okay?" She asked with worry in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little dislocated that's all." Peter deflected the worry. Susan could see the adoration in Peter's eyes as he looked at Elise and the love in her smile. Even though they had only known each other a few days, Susan knew they were going to be together. She couldn't have picked a better girl for her brother. But then she was drawn back to reality. The fight was over, but Miraz's confidant shoved an arrow up his chest and killed him. Susan saw it with her own eyes. Then he shouted.

"TREACHERY! They shot him! They killed our king!" The man cried. The army protested loudly and began to shoot cannonballs at the fortress and the grounds around it. David glanced at her, then pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. Susan knew the unspoken message there, and she smiled at him before running up to the fortress with the archers and getting ready.

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


	12. Natural High

_Elise's POV_

After Peter survived the battle with Miraz, Elise could breathe a little easier. But she still worried for his safety as they went into the next battle. Running over to him, she threw herself into his arms.

"Peter, please be careful!" She begged him, tears running down her face. "I lost my parents, I can't lose you too."

"You won't, I promise. But you have to be careful too. It's not just me who's in danger you know!" He said with deep concern in his voice.  
"I will be careful! I'm only going to be on the ledge with Susan. You don't have to worry about me."

"But I will anyway." He told her fondly. "Elise – I think – I think I might be falling in love with you." He said quickly.

"Well I think I'm falling in love with you too!" She said with tears running down her cheeks. He pulled her to him and kissed her hard. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, asking for permission. She opened her mouth and let her tongue dance with his. She pulled away a few moments later, breathless. She kissed him quickly one more time, and ran towards the ledge, with no looking back.

_Peter's POV_

As Elise ran towards the ledge, Peter watched her with a heavy heart. He knew this day was going to be dangerous, and he didn't want her involved. But it was too late. He turned towards the battle with David and Edmund flanking him, and prayed that Lucy had gotten through.

Fighting side by side, the three of them killed all Telmarines that came at them. But all three of them knew it wouldn't be enough. Turning to glance at Susan and Elise, he gave them the signal. Susan nodded at him and he heard her yell.

"Archers ready!" The arrows flew over their heads a moment later, and Peter watched as about fifty Telmarines fell, dead. As this happened, a rock flew overhead from the launcher. Peter watched with dismay as it hit right at the entrance of the fortress, causing the entrance to crumble, and rock cover the opening. This caused the supports above to fall, bringing Elise down with it. Susan grabbed her hand, stopping Elise's fall, but she slipped and fell, her screams echoing, as her body landed on the rocks below.

"Elise!" Peter shouted as he ran toward the rocks. Edmund and David ran after him, Edmund yelling Danielle's name, as Peter realized with shock that Danielle and Ricky were now trapped inside the fortress. But his mind was numb. He could think of nothing but the fact that Elise was lying on those rocks, her body broken. When he reached her, he saw that she was still breathing, and appeared to have no broken bones. Her face had a trail of blood on it, from a cut, and she was bruised, but she smiled at him gently.

"Don't speak!" he said. "Save your strength." He lifted her gently, and took her to a white tent that they had set up on the side of the battlefield. Leaving her there on a cot was about the hardest thing he had ever done, but he knew he needed to get back. Kissing her gently, he left her in the capable hands of a Narnian nurse.

_Edmund's POV_

As Edmund saw the fortress opening come crumbling down, his heart stopped. He knew that Danielle was inside that building. He raced towards the building, trying to pull rocks aside.

"Edmund! Stop!" He heard David's voice behind him. But he didn't care. He kept moving rocks, trying to create a path in.

"Edmund, you can't get her out now. You need to wait until the battle is over and then we can!" David finally caught up to him, and tried to pull him away.

"I can't just leave her in there David!" He shouted.

"No, but she's my sister too you know! I love her just as much as you do." David said calmly.

"Love her?" Edmund whirled to face David.

"We'll settle that later. In the meantime, you're needed on the field. We can get to Danielle later."

"But we can't just leaver her! What if she's dying David?" Edmund practically screamed at him. David's shoulders sagged in defeat.

"Okay, fine. We'll try to get to her." David began helping Edmund move the rocks.

_Danielle's POV_

Danielle shivered inside the fortress. She had been near the entrance when the rocks fell, and she was now trapped under two big rocks. They were on top of her legs and chest, but she didn't think anything was broken. She felt so cold, whereas a few minutes ago she didn't feel cold at all. Trying in vain, she kicked her legs in the air, trying to see if she could manage to get the rocks off his legs. She tried to call for help, but she couldn't. The rock on her chest was blocking her air pipes she guessed, as she couldn't speak and could barely breathe. Settling down to her fate, she tried to relax as she waited.

_Susan's POV_

As Susan watched Elise fall, her heart seemed to stop. She couldn't believe the fall Elise had taken. As she watched helplessly, Peter arrived on the scene, picking Elise up gently and carrying her off. Susan looked down at David, who glanced up at her with a helpless look in his eyes as he ran towards the entrance that had caved in. Susan sighed with worry and tried to focus on the soldiers running toward them.

_Ricky's POV_

Ricky was huddled in a corner of the fortress. He had managed to stay away from the collapsing rock at the entrance to the cave, but he wasn't sure what had happened to Danielle.

"Dani!" He yelled. "Dani!" When he heard no answer, he tried to crawl through a narrow hole in the debris. He couldn't fit, so he began walking up and down trying to find a hole. Finally, he found an opening in the rubble, and he crawled through. When he got to the other side, he found a narrow walkway between the rocks, and he could see Danielle's green dress. Going as fast as he could, he yelled as he went.

"Dani! DANI!" He practically screamed it, tears racing down his face. Finally he reached her, and when he saw that she was awake and smiling at him, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness you're okay! You scared me!" He cried as he laid on her, hugging her slim shoulders.

"It's okay baby, I'm okay." Danielle crooned to him. "Shhh."

Once Ricky calmed down, he tried his best to pull the rocks off of Danielle, but he couldn't. So he tried to content himself with sitting down next to her, holding her head in his lap as he waited with her in the darkness.

_Lucy's POV_

Completely unaware of what was going on back at the fortress, Lucy rode through the forests. After Susan left her, she had kept going through, making her way towards the place where they had been transported to. The trees were absolutely silent, something that was tough for Lucy to see. When she had first come, after they freed Narnia from the White witch, the trees had talked, communicated and been beautiful. But now, the silence was nerve-wracking. She glanced around her, and froze when she saw a soldier riding behind her. She kicked the horse in it's side and sped up. Racing as fast as she could, she glanced behind her and saw that the soldier was still following her. She kept going, and sighed with relief and fright when she saw Aslan in front of her. Coming up beside him, she stopped the horse and watched as Aslan uttered an earth-shattering roar and jumped on the soldier, killing him instantly. Lucy closed her eyes and turned away from the scene as Aslan came back. She ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Aslan!" She cried happily. Aslan chuckled deeply. Without a word, they began to head back to the battlefield.


	13. Heartbreak

**Hey guys…I'm SO sorry about your wait. Over the last two weeks I was on vacation with no internet, I had my birthday, and I went to Creation Festival, so I just got home from everything and I'm updating ASAP. I hope you guys forgive me, and on with the chapter! **

_Elise's POV_

Elise awoke to the sounds of soldiers crying and nurses scurrying around. Sitting up and propping herself on her elbows, she looked around her, suddenly remembering where she was. She remembered falling from the ledge and Peter bringing her to the hospital. Rising, she grimaced at the pain in her ankle, but it was wrapped and she figured it was just a sprain. She got up and quickly began to work with the soldiers before the other nurse noticed that she wasn't lying down. If she had to be here, she might as well be some use.

_Lucy's POV_

When Lucy and Aslan rode into the field, the scene that greeted them was one of devastation. It didn't take an expert to figure out that the brave Narnian army was losing, or that the situation was grim.

"Cover your ears young one." Aslan said to Lucy. Quickly she clapped her hands over her ears and closed her eyes, waiting for what was coming. A few moments later, Aslan roared deafeningly. Just like that, everything was quiet. Lucy uncovered her ears with some hesitation, which was quickly replaced with wonder as the trees came to life around her. Slowly, they uncoiled themselves from what must have been long held positions of silence and began to move towards the Telmarine army. Recovering from their shock, the Narnian army began to take advantage of the Telmarine's fright and fight back, driving them towards the river.

Heading across the open fields, Lucy road on Aslan's back, with the wind flying through her hair and the sun beaming down on her face. She felt like she had been right all along. As the Narnians pushed the Telmarines to the bridge, she and Aslan came up on the other side to stop the escaping Telmarines. Walking across the bridge with her small dagger in her hand, she tried to not show her fright. Suddenly, Aslan roared, and a giant water monster arose from the river. It swept the Telmarine army away, and the Narnians stood on shore, cheering. Lucy sheathed her dagger, before following her brothers and sisters in confusion as they ran back toward the battlefield.

_Peter's POV_

As soon as the Narnians had regained control of the Telmarines, Peter raced back to the field hospital where he had left Elise. He ran to the bed she had been in and gasped in shock when he saw the bed was empty. Looking around for the nearest nurse, he asked in fright where she was. The nurse shook her head and moved on. Peter panicked and looked around. He heard a voice behind him at that moment.

"Are you looking for someone?" The voice had a teasing tone. Peter whirled around to see his Elise standing in front of him. Laughing, he picked her up and swung her around.

"We did it Elise, we did it!" His smile was contagious as he kissed her with gentleness and passion combined. "But are you okay?" Remembering where they were, he set her down carefully and looked for reassurance from her.

"I'm fine, my ankle is just sprained." Just at that moment, pain shot through it, and her face contorted in pain.

"Sit!" Peter commanded as he lowered her to the bed again. "You need to rest it Elise. And that's an order" He said with mock sternness on his face. Elise just smiled at him.

_Susan's POV_

Running across the field, Susan looked for David. She hadn't seen him since they had parted, and she was worried about him. Finding him by the trees, she pulled him around only to see tears running down his face.

"What's wrong?" Susan questioned, brushing some of his dark hair away from his eyes.

"It's like it just hit me, at this very moment. I was just thinking how I can't wait to tell Mom and Dad that we won, when I realized that they aren't here." His shoulders shook with sobs. "They'll never be here again. I feel so alone right now." He wiped at the tears that were now coursing down his cheeks freely. Susan pulled him to her and he buried his face in her neck. She smoothed his hair as she realized the loss deeply for the first time too, and for all the loss they had experienced that day, she wept with him.

_Edmund's POV_

Edmund was racing frantically through the caverns underground to find where the ground had caved in on Danielle. David had helped him pull the rocks away from the entrance, but after watching what happened on the bridge, David had run to the woods. Edmund guess he needed some time alone, but couldn't believe that David was deserting his sister like that. Edmund finally found the main section of debris and crawled through a narrow opening. His heart broke when he saw Ricky there, crying over the body of his sister. Edmund crawled over to Ricky.

"Is my sister going to be okay?" Ricky asked with a hiccup.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Edmund reassured Ricky. "Why don't you go back out through the hole and find Lucy. She has magic cordial liquid that will help." Ricky scampered off to be of service, and Edmund turned with dread to see Danielle.

She lay there with her eyes closed, and her skin was pale. Moving the rocks off of her, Edmund strained until he had her free. Lifting her limp body, he slowly and painstakingly crawled through the opening with her.

"Ed?" She said, with such a weak sounding voice that Edmund wondered if she was dying.

"Yes Dani? I'm here, I'm going to get you out. You're going to be okay." Edmund felt tears sliding down his face.

"Ed, I feel so cold. Help me." Danielle's eyes closed again and Edmund fought harder to fit through the hole. Squeezing through, he managed to make his way back to the pile of rocks at the opening, cradling her in his arms. He lifted her through again, and sighed with relief when he saw daylight.

_Lucy's POV_

Lucy ran through the field following Ricky, holding her cordial ready. Seeing Edmund come out of the fortress with Danielle in his arms, she tried to run faster. Racing to them, she waited until Edmund had set Danielle on the ground before dropping some cordial on Danielle's tongue. Aslan came up behind her while they were waiting for the cordial to help.

"Why is nothing happening?" Edmund asked with panic in his voice, looking to Aslan. Lucy turned too.

"I'm afraid that Danielle is beyond the power of the cordial. She has lost so much blood that there is no way it can help her. I'm sorry." Aslan looked with sadness on the heartbroken faces of the children. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do."

**Okay, I'll try to get one more chapter up before I leave for Philadelphia on Sunday morning. If not…forgive me! Reviews will definitely motivate me ;) **


	14. Saved

**Again…I'm sorry about the wait. I was on a missions trip this week, and I have summer camp starting tomorrow morning, but after that I'm home for the rest of the summer. I'm hoping about another six chapters and the story should be complete, so make sure to vote in the poll on my page about which story I should write next! **** I'm actually sitting in the waiting room of a hospital while my dad is in the ER, so prayers for him would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys **

_Edmund's POV_

Edmund just stared at Aslan. He couldn't believe what he was hearing; Dani couldn't die. He needed her so much, and her family had lost so much already. He just shook his head and backed up, covering his face with his hands. For the first time, he felt truly helpless; all his life he had thought that he had everything under control, but for once in his life, he didn't. He turned to see Aslan carrying Danielle to a field hospital. He couldn't live with himself, so he ran.

_Ricky's POV_

Ricky's lower lip trembled watching his older sister be lowered onto a stretcher bed.

"Please someone do something!" He cried out. Nurses scurried around her as they hooked her up to a bag of medicine. A doctor examined her as Lucy pulled him away. She sat outside the tent hugging him as he cried.

"I already lost my mom and dad, I can't lose Dani too!" Ricky screamed. Lucy understood that screaming was his way of dealing with what he was feeling, and she just let him scream. She didn't know what else to do.

David, Susan, Peter and Elise joined them some time later. They had no idea where Ed was, and they decided he would be able to take care of himself. Waiting, they worried the entire night as the doctors operated on Danielle.

_David's POV_

Susan had fallen asleep in David's arms. When she shifted, he woke up but didn't move so he wouldn't disturb her. Just then the doctor walked in.

"I have some news." The doctor said gravely.

"What is it?" David asked fearfully.

"Your sister will be okay, she just has a lot of damage. Three of her arteries were punctured, resulting in a massive loss of blood. We have operated, and she will be okay. It will just take time for her to recover." David smiled widely.

"That's wonderful!" David exclaimed. He woke the others and told them the news, and they all sighed in relief before heading to get some sleep. That's when they began to wonder where Ed was. They wanted to tell him the good news.

_Edmund's POV_

Ed's heart pounded as his feet thundered on the ground below him. He raced through the forest, tears running down his cheeks. He couldn't believe this had happened. He wish he was the dead one, not Dani. He had asked her to stay behind, he didn't want her fighting. Now she had and she was dead. If he had only watched out for her a little more, tried to make her stay behind, maybe she would be alive right now. He could never forgive himself. He stopped in a shady seclusion of trees and dropped to the ground. The tears came faster, and they turned into full out sobs. Then he heard a voice.

"Edmund?" The voice spoke. Ed look around, but saw no one.

"Who's there?" His voice came out shaky from crying.

"Son, what are you doing here? Why aren't you with your family and Danielle." The voice asked, ignoring his question.

"Danielle is dead. Why should I be there? I killed her." Edmund started crying again.

"Danielle is alive. The doctor saved her." The voice said. "You didn't kill her. Nothing you said could have stopped her from fighting today. She wanted that just as much as you did. You must not blame yourself for what could have happened."

"Dani's not dead?" Edmund gasped. "But Aslan said she would die!"

"Even the wisest make mistakes." Suddenly Aslan appeared from the shadows, and Ed realized he had been the voice.

"Aslan?" Edmund said with awe in his voice.

"Yes. You should go to her, she needs you. She will need you a lot in the future as she heals." Aslan smiled as Edmund ran in the direction of the field before stopping and turning around.

"Thank you Aslan."  
"You're welcome."

**My dad just got called in, so I'm going to end it here. Sorry about the shortness, I'll have one up for you guys next week after I get home. Thanks, and Review! I love you all! **


	15. Author's Note

Hey Everyone,

I have to sincerely apologize for the lack of updates for the LAST MONTH! I'm so terribly sorry. When I said that my dad went into the ER, we thought it was just a neck sprain, but through a diving accident my dad actually broke his neck, so its been an awful few weeks. But I promise updates will be coming again, and soon, you just need to give me a bit more time to get back on my feet.

Again, I'm terribly sorry..forgive me  
Thanks for being so patient.

~hannah~


	16. Love and Loyalty

_Edmund's POV_

Edmund ran back through the forest, knocking branches and logs out of his way. Coming to the field, he saw the field hospital and ran towards it. He went straight to where Danielle lay, and when he saw her smile up at him, something in his heart clicked, and he felt tears flowing down his face again. Danielle reached up, with a bit of strain, and stroked his face gently, as if to say "it's okay". He leaned into her hand, and the two of them smiled at each other, Edmund through his tears. For the first time since the accident and the battle, the two of them truly felt like it would be okay.

THREE MONTHS LATER

_Peter's POV_

Peter wandered down by the lake where he had seen Elise walk. Since the battle and the coronation, things had been rather busy, and he hadn't had a chance to talk to her at all. She seemed to be in deep thought from a distance, but as he approached her, he saw her crying. Running towards her, he sat down beside her.

"Elise? Are you okay?" He asked quietly, putting his arms around her. She leaned into him and cried all the harder.

"I'm fine." She said, once she had caught her breath.

"You don't seem fine to me." Peter said with a hint of teasing in his voice.

"It's just that the battle's over now, Narnia belongs to the people again. So what about us? What happens to me and my family now? Are we to go back to Philadelphia, where there's nothing left for us?" Elise cried softly. "I'm the oldest, I have to provide. There's nothing there! I wanted to go to school and study more, and everything. Now I'll have to get a job to provide for Danielle and Ricky until they are of age." Elise kept mumbling under her breath, but Peter got the gist of what was going on.

"You don't have to worry about anything." He said softly. "You guys are going to stay here with us, I'm sure that's what Aslan intends. And if he wants to send us back, you will just come with us." He smiled at her.

"Are you sure?" Elise asked with some hesitancy in her voice.

"I am absolutely sure," Peter said. "In the meantime, will you consent to be my girlfriend? You mean the world to me Elise, and I want to look after you and provide for you."

"Yes, Peter. I want to be your girlfriend. I love you." She leaned up and kissed him gently, and he responded with all the joyfulness that he felt. They sat quietly by the water for a little longer before heading back.

_Elise's POV_

That night, as Elise prepared for bed, David came into her room.

"Hey." She smiled softly at him, sensing that something was on his mind.

"Hey. So are you and Peter a 'thing' now?" He inquired with some amusement. Elise blushed daintily.

"Yes, we're together." She said, trying to keep the obvious happiness off her face.

"I'm happy for you. He's a wonderful man."

Elise realized for the first time that Peter was a man, and that she was a woman. It wasn't just a game anymore. This made her even happier and she grinned.

"Yes, he is wonderful isn't he?"

"I wondered how long it would be before you two got together.

"So what's on your mind?" Elise cut to the chase. "I sense that you want more than just to talk about me and Peter."

"Yes, I do. It's Susan." David had the grace to flush. "I want to ask her out, the same way that Peter did you. Only I wanted to make sure that I had your approval." David seemed embarrassed. "I don't have Mom here to approve her, so I figured as my big sister that you were the next best."

Elise was honored that David wanted her approval and was also overwhelmed with the idea that she would be filling in as mom for everyone. Pushing the thoughts aside, she pulled herself back to the present.

"I love Susan, and I heartily give my consent." David grinned widely and hugged her before running out of the room. Elise just smiled knowingly and continued with her preparations for bed. She considered just going outside and walking until dawn, for she hadn't been sleeping lately, and she had been having nightmares. Deciding she needed to at least try and sleep, she got into bed and pulled the covers up. Sleep claimed her quickly, but so did a terrible nightmare about her parent's death. Elise didn't even realize she was crying until Peter came running down the hall to her room and shook her gently.

"Elise, babe, are you okay?" Peter asked with concern in his voice.

"Yes, I just had a nightmare." Elise tried to stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks, but they came anyway. Peter suddenly climbed into bed beside her and pulled her tightly into his arms. She cried and cried, but it felt good. Letting out all that emotion felt wonderful. For the first time since her parents death, she felt like she didn't have to be strong for anyone, she could just let the emotion out, and that was a welcome release.

_David's POV_

David ran down the hallways to Susan's room, not being able to wait another minute. He was so happy that he couldn't believe it was just three months after he had lost his parents. It seemed like just yesterday the pain had been so sharp, and now it was just a dull ache that hit him occasionally. Having Susan in his life taught him that he had to keep going. He wasn't going to do any good closing himself off from people, he had to be open and live life. And that was exactly what he intended to do.

THE NEXT NIGHT: CORONATION BALL

_Lucy's POV_

Lucy stepped up to the stage after Peter had addressed the people. It was two weeks after the coronation, and this was the big celebration that had been talked about for months. Peter was stepping back into his place as king, and it was a joyous occasion. Looking out over the crowd, she began to speak.

"It is both a joyous day, and a sad day. We want to always remember those that we lost in the fight for freedom, and the friends we have gained." She smiled at Ricky. "But we have to remember that in the middle of sadness and loss, there is still happiness to be found." She looked at David and Susan, looking so happy. "There is still encouragement, feeling, and love." Peter and Elise smiled at her, with their arms around each other. "So here's to life, love and happiness. Here's to keeping going, even when life seems too hard. And here's to love, because there really is nothing like it. The two greatest things in the world: love and loyalty."

**Well, that's it! I can't believe it's over..I loved writing it! I will be writing longer stories for the couples, and I will be posting the first chapter of the winning story sometime in October, so be sure to vote for your favorite couple on my page, as the poll closes October 1****st****. Thanks for all the reviews and support, it's been a blast. **


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